On the 26th of July, DC Mayor Bowser celebrated her birthday with a "public" party at the Ivy City Smokehouse, a restaurant owned by ProFish president and developer Greg Casten. Outside, Empower DC and Ivy City residents staged a loud protest demanding the Mayor include a rec center and playground in any redevelopment of the historic Crummel School site, saying "Something's fishy in Ivy City."

As the Mayor's friends filed into the Ivy City Smokehouse, Ivy City residents emphasized that they want parks and playgrounds, not condos for the Mayor's developer friends and their wealthy customers. The Mayor herself arrived about 40 minutes late, rather like former mayor Tony "The Rat" Williams used to do when protesters were at his public appearances first. Rather than face the protesters, she apparently scuttled into the Ivy City Smokehouse via a back door. Several councilmembers did go in the front door. Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White took the mike, chanting "all power to the people" and even Jack Evans agreed to take a walk around Ivy City with community groups. He will be held to this promise. The Deputy Mayor refused to speak to Ivy City residents outside the Mayor's birthday party.

Capping things off, at the end of the protest some of the Ivy City residents put away their signs and went inside (this was billed as a public party after all) to have words with the Mayor about the future of their community and about Crummel School.

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